Theater review: ‘A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline’

It is such an engaging show that even the commercials are fun.

But we are not talking about a television program here. A ton of entertainment, right down to the advertising, is to be found in A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline, the stage musical that opened Friday at the Granbury Opera House.

Reprising the title role of the great country singer is Julie Johnson, who has put on her best cowgirl dresses a number of times in performances of this show in Granbury and elsewhere.

But Johnson is no one-trick pony. She has performed a wide range roles on Broadway, off Broadway, in national touring productions and, thankfully, on many of our area stages.

But there are few parts that Johnson has ever sung as successfully as her channeling of Patsy Cline’s unique vocals in this show. While no singer’s voice could ever exactly match Cline’s, Johnson comes incredibly close.

She is especially adept at imitating Cline’ sharp attacks and clipped phrasing on so many of her lyrics. While she could very easily just phone in this familiar portrayal, Johnson’s take on Cline has never been more thoughtful and nuanced than it is in this effort.

The highlights of the show, which offers biographical tidbits about the singer between its numerous numbers, depend on which Cline songs you like best. Johnson does them all well. But Lovesick Blues, Always, Back in Baby’s Arms and the minimally accompanied gospel tune, Life’s a Railway to Heaven, are among the standouts.

Johnson, who also directed the show, gets a lot of help from pianist Steve Barcus, who plays several roles in addition to his duties at the keyboard in Cline’s band. He does an excellent job of providing context and moving the show along in his role as a Cline-loving DJ playing a tribute Cline on the day of her fatal plane crash in 1963.

Barcus shines most when he is part of the outstanding, four-piece band backing Johnson. Guitarist Jerry Matheny is especially impressive which his exceptionally tasteful and precise playing. Drummer D. Garrett Roper and bassist Kevin Bailey are also right on the money on every tune.

The band is so good, in fact, that they even make you like commercials. Barcus’ DJ spiel is peppered with retro commercial jingles for cigarettes and household cleansers that are performed by the band. These old broadcast come-ons are a clever and humorous way to keep us locked into the show’s time setting.

This show has also never looked better than it does in this incarnation presented by the relatively new Granbury Theatre Company. Drenda Lewis’ costumes should look tired by now, but they do not. Johnson has almost as many dress and wig changes as songs in this show, but every outfit looks great and adroitly conveys the setting, whether it is a honky-tonk, the Grand Ole Opry, Las Vegas or Carnegie Hall. The scenic design by Mark Bell, who also produced the show, is enhanced by the use of some well-made backdrops that set the atmosphere for Cline’s geographically scattered performances.

This show, written by Dean Regan, is more satisfying than the more commonly performed Always… Patsy Cline (which Johnson has also performed) because it does a better job of telling the story of the singer’s life.

There is a price to be paid for that. This show, with a run time of about 135 minutes, is a bit too much of a good thing. This extra length is the fault of some overlong, standup comedy bits that are used to cover costume changes. Barcus does a great job of playing the sort of annoying comedians that would have been on the bill with Cline at the Grand Ole Opry and on Las Vegas stages, but the bits overstay their purpose and welcome.

Still, those are minor issues when set against the joy of hearing Johnson perform.

If you are a fan of Cline, you should take Johnson’s hand and enjoy this tuneful stroll with a legend.

This story was originally published January 12, 2016 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Theater review: ‘A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline’."